Environmental monitoring on shellfish using UV laser ablation ICP-MS

Laser ablation inductive coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to analyse minor and trace elements in the hard parts of a shellfish, representing the environmental changes. A large, long-lived bivalve such as Arctica islandica can produce historical records of trace element fluctuations in seawater. Analytical traverses using LA-ICP-MS were performed from the inner to the outer wall of the shell at different locations. The development of the UV laser system now offers spatial resolution of craters of 10 μm diameter, enabling several analyses between the various growthbands. The elemental changes between growthbands of the shell are discussed, showing the potential for precise determination of heavy-metal pollution over the years.     

Quantitation methods using laser ablation ICP-MS

Laser Ablation ICP-MS offers the capability of direct analysis of conductive and non-conductive samples. However the quantitation capabilities of LA-ICP-MS are often questioned. In order to qualify the term quantitation, different methods, appropriate for laser ablation, are discussed. Measurements on different sample matrices were performed both semiquantitatively and quantitatively using standards with the same matrix. Additionally, the use of an internal standard, a minor isotope of the matrix element or a known concentration of a trace or a minor element can be selected as an aid to quantitation. In cases where there is no certified element concentration available, a user value for the LA-ICP-MS sensitivity can be chosen. These different methods of quantitation are compared and the rationale behind each approach is discussed.     

Seed polymerization of tetraethyl ortho-silicate in the presence of rod-like colloidal particles of anionic palygorskite and cationic β-FeO(OH)

Kinetic analyses were made of the seed polymerization of tetraethyl ortho-silicate (TEOS) in the presence of rod-like colloidal particles of palygorskite and cationic -FeO(OH) by turbidity and dynamic light-scattering measurements. Transmission electron microscopic measurements supported the formation of core-shell particles. The seed polymerization of TEOS took place exclusively on the surfaces of palygorskite. The main cause of the observation is due to the fact that the main component of palygorskite is SiO₂ and the affinity between palygorskite and TEOS is high, though the electrostatic repulsion between them is not favorable for shell formation. The shell formation of silica on a -FeO(OH) particle also proceeded. The electrostatic attraction forces between the anionic polar TEOS monomers and cationic -FeO(OH) particles played an important role in shell formation. These results are consistent with a polymerization mechanism consisting of the formation of small preliminary particles followed by their coalescence on the surfaces of the seeds to give the final large particles coated with silica layers.     

Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) of ZnS 1−x Se x Semiconductor Materials

Luminous zinc sulphide selenide crystals (ZnS_1–xSe_x) with an anion-gradient in the µm-range within the crystal were quantitatively investigated by LA-ICP-MS. Reference standard crystals were synthesized by chemical vapour transport reaction and characterized by µ-XRF, SEM, PIXE, RBS and solution ICP-MS. Values from several analytical methods were then combined to describe the concentration in the reference crystals. Using these crystals, calibration curves with high correlation coefficients could be obtained for laser ablation ICP-MS determination of elemental concentrations. The gradient determined afterwards in the zinc sulphide selenide sample crystals was in the order of 30wt% in Se-content within an 800µm distance. This shows the promising capabilities of LA-ICP-MS in the field of elemental quantification in the µm-range.     

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for direct analysis of the spatial distribution of trace elements in metallurgical-grade silicon

The spatial distribution and concentration of impurities in metallurgical-grade silicon (MG-Si) samples (97–99% w/w Si) were investigated by use of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The spatial resolution (120 μm) and low limits of detection (mg kg⁻¹) for quality assurance of such materials were studied in detail. The volume-dependent precision and accuracy of non-matrix-matched calibration for quantification of minor elements, using NIST SRM 610 (silicate standard), indicates that LA-ICP-MS is well suited to rapid process control of such materials. Quantitative results from LA-ICP-MS were compared with previously reported literature data obtained by use of ICP-OES and rf-GD-OES. In particular, the distribution of element impurities and their relationship to their different segregation coefficients in silicon is demonstrated. Dedicated to Professor Klaus G. Heumann     

One‐Pot Synthesis of Microcapsules with Nanoscale Inclusions

Temperature responsive poly(N‐isopropylmethacrylamide) (pNIPMAm) microgel capsules around 1 µm containing multiple poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm) nanoinclusions were prepared. This structure was achieved through the addition of a cross‐linked pNIPMAm shell to stable, monodispersed aggregates of pNIPAm chains. This one‐pot synthetic approach resulted in core/shell microgels at high temperature wherein only the shell (pNIPMAm) component contained stable, covalent cross‐links between chains. Thus, upon decreasing the temperature following synthesis, the majority of the encapsulated pNIPAm chains escaped from the shell, resulting in nearly hollow microcapsules. Remnant pNIPAm segments in the microcapsule then form nanoparticulate inclusions upon raising the temperature.

     

The well-tempered model core potentials for the main-group elements Li–Rn

The well-tempered model core potential (wtMCP) parameters and valence basis sets, based on the well-tempered basis set expansion, were developed for the main-group elements Li–Rn. For the s–block elements, the valence space comprises the ns valence shell and the outermost core (n–1)p shell. For the p-block elements, the ns and np shells together with the (n–1)d shell make up the valence space. Nonrelativistic wtMCPs were developed for all atoms. Scalar-relativistic wtMCPs were prepared for all atoms heavier than Ar by using the relativistic elimination of small components to obtain the reference and core orbitals. The new potentials were tested at the restricted Hartree–Fock, second-order Mø øller–Plesset perturbation theory and density functional theory with Beckes three-parameter hybrid functional combined with Perdews 1991 gradient-corrected correlation functional levels for several diatomic molecules and the results were compared with those obtained from all-electron calculations and experimental values. Excellent agreement between the results was obtained.     

TSPIXE analysis of Mg/Ca ratios in ostracode shells

The m-PIXE setup of Fudan University has been used to study the trace elements of ostracode shells. Program TSPIXE was used to calculate their trace element concentrations.Stenocypris derupta Vavra, Dolerocypria mukaishimensis okubo andTanella opima Chen, three kinds of ostracodes were analyzed. In this study, we concentrate on the relationships between molar ratios of Mg/Ca and temperature, and between molar ratios of Mg/Ca and salinity of the host water. We have found that the molar ratios of Mg/Ca of ostracize shells are positively correlated with the temperature of the host water, but negatively correlated with its salinity.     

A Multilayer Model for Gold Nanoparticle Bioconjugates: Application to Study of Gelatin and Human IgG Adsorption Using Extinction and Light Scattering Spectra and the Dynamic Light Scattering Method

A new model of colloidal gold (CG) bioconjugates is proposed. The model consists of a gold core and a primary polymer shell formed during conjugate synthesis. Additionally, the conjugate includes a secondary shell formed during its interaction with target molecules. Each of the inhomogeneous shells is modeled by the arbitrary number of discrete layers. Using Mie theory for multilayered spheres, we calculated the extinction and static light scattering (SLS, at 90°) spectra, as well as differential spectra A(), I() describing the effects of primary and secondary shells. Our calculations are performed for the conjugates with gold particle diameters d = 10–160 nm and two 5-nm shells. The primary shell consists of two 2.5-nm layers with the refractive indices of 1.50 and 1.45; the secondary shell, of two 2- and 3-nm layers with the refractive indices of 1.45 and 1.40. The differential spectra are related to the adsorption of target molecules and possess a characteristic resonance that is shifted to the red region of spectra compared to the usual localized plasmon resonances of gold particles. The maximal values of differential resonances A _max and I _max are observed for gold particles with diameters about 40–60 nm (extinction spectra) or 70–90 nm (the SLS spectra). The adsorption of human gamma-globulin (hIgG) and gelatin onto 15- and 34-nm gold particles was studied using the SLS and extinction spectra in combination with the dynamic light scattering measurements. It is shown that the thickness of adsorbed layer is equal to 5–6 nm for hIgG and to 15–18 nm for gelatin. The experimental extinction and SLS spectra for CG + hIgG conjugates are well explained by a simple model with the gold core and homogeneous polymer coating. For the CG + gelatin conjugates, we used the new model with inhomogeneous polymer coating, which is modeled by 10 discrete layers with the total thickness of 16–18 nm and exponential spatial profile of shell refractive index.     

Surface‐Imprinted,Thermosensitive, Core‐Shell Nanosphere for Molecular Recognition

Summary: The D ‐glucose imprinted core‐shell nanosphere with an average size of ≈60 to 80 nm showed a significant preference for the binding of D ‐glucose than the non‐imprinted core‐shell nanosphere. Depending on temperature, the binding site in the shell with N‐isopropylacrylamide oligomer underwent a significant change in binding affinity. In addition, the D ‐glucose imprinted core‐shell nanosphere showed a two times higher affinity for D ‐glucose than L ‐glucose, suggesting chiral recognition of the binding site. The core‐shell nanosphere reported here is a good biomimetic model system with a well‐defined morphology, high surface area, and variable binding affinity through a change in temperature.

D ‐glucose imprinted core‐shell nanospheres showed excellent binding over the non‐imprinted core‐shell nanosphere.     

Trace elements in the water cycle of the Šalek valley,Slovenia, using INAA

Three watersheds were studied by sampling bulk precipitation deposition, seepage water at 50 cm soil depth and spring water. As the main analytical method for determination of trace elements and heavy metals in water samples, thek ₀-based method of INAA was used. The results showed an increased content and concentration range of trace elements in precipitation, soil water and spring water in the vicinity of the otanj Thermal Power Plant. We demonstrated that thek ₀-based method of INAA as a multielement nondestructive technique is a highly suitable approach to determining some toxic trace elements in environmental studies of the water cycle.     

Preparation and Properties of Cyclodextrin/PNIPAm Microgels

A two‐stage precipitation polymerization in aqueous solution was used to prepare β‐cyclodextrin/poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (β‐CD/PNIPAm) core–shell microgels. At the first stage, core microgels with CD moieties were synthesized by precipitation copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) with a monovinyl β‐CD monomer. At the second stage, using the core particles as seeds, PNIPAm shell were further added onto the seeds by NIPAm polymerization. The microgels were characterized by means of Zetasizer Nano‐ZS dynamic light scattering, TEM, IR, NMR, DSC, and TGA measurements. Using paeonol as a model drug molecule, the release behaviors of the microgels were investigated. The result indicates that the core–shell microgels could respond to change in temperature. Furthermore, the release of paeonol was related to supramolecular inclusion behavior of β‐CD and temperature sensitivity of PNIPAm.

     

The stability of the hartree fock solutions of pentalene and heptalene

The closed shell HF solutions for the-electrons in pentalene and heptalene are found to exhibit singlet instabilities for values of the core integral close to the standard value.Based on work contained in a Ph. D. Thesis by K. Vasudevan, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.     

Shell Structures in Molecular Orbital Energy Diagrams for “Small” Fullerene Cages: Free-Electron Versus Generator Orbital Models

The nearly spherical nature of small fullerene cages C _N (N<70) suggests that their molecular orbital (MO) energy diagrams should show a shell structure. Although group theoretical analysis of the Hückel-type energies for icosahedral and other highly symmetric cages confirms this assumption, this has not been established for fullerene cages in general. This work presents a simple computational algorithm based upon the canonical orthogonalization of generator orbitals (GOs) to analyze the -MO energy diagrams for any fullerene cage C _N , and demonstrates the validity of a shell structure in these diagrams. Results are compared to simple central force (spherical) models for the calculations of -MO energies in fullerene cages. The GO approach provides a ready assignment of the -MOs to individual spherical harmonics and allows valuable interpretations of various physical phenomena.     

Apparent Molar Volumes of Proline-Leucine Dipeptide in NaCl Aqueous Solutions at 318.15 K

Density measurements of pseudo-binary solutions of proline-leucine dipeptide in aqueous NaCl solutions with molality ranging from 0 to 1 mol-kg^–1 have been performed at 318.15 K. Apparent molar volumes, V_{, 2}, of proline-leucine were calculated from the measured data. Limiting partial molar volumes, V₂, and limiting partial molar volumes of transfer from water to aqueous NaCl solutions, _tr V₂, were derived and interpreted in terms of ion-dipeptide interactions and changes in the characteristics of the hydration shell around the biomolecules as well.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of ceramic components for solid oxide fuel cells

For the determination of trace impurities in ceramic components of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), some mass spectrometric methods have been applied such as spark source mass spectrometry (SSMS), laser ionization mass spectrometry (LIMS), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Due to a lack of suitable standard reference materials for quantifying of analytical results on La _x Sr _y MnO₃ cathode material a matrix-matched synthetic standard-high purity initial compounds doped with trace elements-was prepared in order to determine the relative sensitivity coefficients in SSMS and LA-ICP-MS. Radiofrequency glow discharge mass spectrometry (rf-GDMS) was developed for trace analysis and depth profiling of thick non-conducting layers. Surface analytical techniques, such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS), were used to determine the element distribution on surfaces (homogeneity) and the surface contaminants of SOFC ceramic layers.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Encapsulation of Bovine Serum Albumin in Temperature‐Programmed “Shell‐in‐Shell” Structures

A novel approach to load a hydrophilic bovine serum albumin into drug carriers was proposed in terms of temperature‐programmed “shell‐in‐shell” structures, which were fabricated with poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), poly(lactide), poly(ethylene glycol), and Au nanoparticles. Spherically well‐defined “shell‐in‐shell” structures were constructed by a modified‐double‐emulsion method (MDEM). The lower critical solubility temperature of the structures was manipulated to 36.4 °C which was confirmed by UV/Vis spectroscopy and DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry).

TEM image of the Au@PLLA‐PEG@PNIPAAm‐PDLA structure.     

On the use of Gaussian shell type basis orbitals for single-center expansions. I. Evaluation of integrals

Formulas are derived for all Hamiltonian integrals required for molecular computations using a novel basis for single-center expansions. The basis orbitals depend exponentially upon α(r ? ρ)² where r and ρ are the distance from center to electron and to a variationally scaled spherical shell, respectively. Comparisons are made between these so-called Gaussian shell orbitals (GSO ) and the conventional GTO and STO bases for single-center calculations. A preliminary comparison on H using a single GSO , a non-integer STO , and a GTO gives the optimized energies: ?0.51089 a.u., ?0.50504 a.u., and ?0.50422 a.u., respectively.     

Zur Multi-Elementanreicherung aus eisenhaltigen B?den und Sedimenten

Summary Traces of Ag, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, In, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn can be preconcentrated with recoveries R_s 95% from soils and sediments of high iron content by collector precipitation with hexamethylene-ammonium-hexamethylenedithiocarbamate and with a small amount of the iron as a collector element. The trace concentrates are analyzed by AAS and XRF. The relative standard deviation of the combined method of sample decomposition, preconcentration and AAS determination (n = 12) is generally about 0.03; the limit of detection (3 s, n = 20) for different elements was found to be between 0.1 and 1 g·g^–1. The accuracy of the method was verified by certified standard material. The power of detection of XRF for the analysis of trace concentrates obtained from soils and sediments is only sufficient for some of the interesting elements.     

A rapid approach for assessment of arsenic exposure by elemental analysis of single strand of hair using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Application of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) as a method for identification of arsenic in a single hair strand was investigated. Using a single point ablation method detectability of ⁷⁵As and other two elements (²⁰⁸Pb and ⁶⁴Zn) were evaluated. Arsenic (⁷⁵As) signal is improved with enhanced laser ablation conditions. For the arsenic determination in hair single spots or single linear scans with enhanced laser ablation conditions described in the paper are satisfactory although  800 μm linear scans may be preferable. Arsenic levels in a single strand of hair from individuals who were chronically exposed to arsenic contaminated drinking water from a village in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile were determined by LA-ICP-MS. These results were satisfactorily correlated with total As concentration previously measured by hydride generation (HG)-ICP-MS. The sample throughput is high and it takes  3 min per each hair sample including mounting, focusing and analysis. LA-ICP-MS method can be used for the rapid identification and screening of toxic and nutritionally important elements in hair.